VIDEO: Burglar is dumbstruck when caught on CCTV

You can almost hear the gears in his head turning as the gormless thief looks directly into the lens for several seconds before shouting to an accomplice and saying the word 'camera'.

Despite being already caught on tape, he then attempts to hide from the wall-mounted camera by ducking down out of view, pointing it at the wall and eventually just yanking out the power lead and hiding it in his bag.

The yob raided the family home in Daventry, Northants, on Saturday afternoon between 1.30pm and 2.30pm and stole a quantity of cash and jewellery.

Today, Phi Chong - who installed the US-imported camera in his parent's home - said the video was immediately uploaded to the internet so it would be impossible for burglars to erase the data once they're filmed.

“Hilariously he then belatedly tries to hide from the camera by ducking underneath it”

Phi Chong

The 30-year-old has now shared the footage, including several still shots, on social media websites in a bid to catch the intruder.

London-based property developer Phi said: "The look on the guy's face is priceless as he tries to figure out what to do next.

"Hilariously he then belatedly tries to hide from the camera by ducking underneath it. He obviously thought by stealing it would hide his crime but the footage was already sent to an online server.

"My parents were robbed in November and I suspected them would be back so I installed the camera.

SAY CHEESE: The burglar stares at the camera for seconds before trying to remove the camera [NEWSTEAM]